allendalepharm Chapter 1540 Zhen Qing: The new emperor is his son, how could he have any ulterior motives?
Chapter 1540 Zhen Qing: The new emperor is his son, how could he have any ulterior motives?
Chapter 1540 Zhen Qing: The new emperor is his son, how could he have any ulterior motives?
Ningguo Mansion, Conglutang
It was afternoon, the weather was clear, and the summer sun was shining brightly into the room. Grains of light filtered through the window lattices and fell onto the lacquered wooden table.
Jia Heng sat down beside a small lacquered wooden table, with a blue and white porcelain teacup beside him, and a thoughtful look on his face.
Chen Xiaoqing's eyes were as bright as water, and he said: "If you are crowned a prince, the ministers may not object, but they can still use the mouths of the censors to criticize you verbally and write, in order to test your intentions."
Jia Heng put down the teacup in his hand and said, "It's hard to say about this matter."
Several cabinet ministers had risen in the political arena, so they were adept at using public opinion to put pressure on him.
Chen Xiao thought about it, his face showing concern, and asked: "Then how do you plan to deal with it?"
Jia Heng said, "Just turn a deaf ear to it."
"Seeing that you accept it calmly, the cabinet will definitely be suspicious of you." Chen Xiao raised his eyebrows, his eyes flickered, and said in a low voice.
Jia Heng shook his head and said, "Suspicion is always inevitable."
Gu Ruoqing watched Jia Heng and Chen Xiao talking together, a thoughtful look appeared on her fair and beautiful face.
……
……
Time flies, and before I knew it, six days had passed.
After the death of the new emperor, the capital was plunged into a completely tense and inexplicable situation. Soldiers from the Beijing Camp, the Jinyifu Tiqi, and the Five Cities Military Department went out in all directions, searching the entire Shenjing City.
For a time, the streets were in a mess and the entire city of Shenjing was in panic.
Palace Garden, Wuying Palace——
Li Zan, Gao Zhongping, Lu Jiang and others were all behind the desk, reviewing piles of memorials with pale yellow covers.
At this moment, under the eaves, a group of young clerks were going in and out with books in their arms.
After the death of the new emperor, the Han Cabinet has in fact taken over the full management of central government affairs.
After a while, a young eunuch hurried into the hall and stared at Li Zan, Gao Zhongping and others.
"Sir, the Queen has arrived." Just then, a small clerk from the cabinet came quickly and said to several people.
In this majestic and magnificent palace, the empress dowager only referred to one person, that is Zhen Qing. As for Empress Dowager Feng herself, she was promoted to Grand Empress Dowager by the new emperor.
Queen Song has not yet been given the title of Empress Dowager.
Because the honorific title is given to the previous generation's concubines through an imperial edict issued by the successor monarch when he ascends the throne.
After the new emperor ascended the throne, in addition to giving Empress Dowager Feng the title of Grand Empress Dowager, he also gave the title to his biological mother.
As they were talking, everyone stared at Queen Song who came in from outside. She was wearing a plain dress with wide sleeves, her hair was in a beautiful bun and there was a hairpin in her hair.
While Li Zan was talking to Gao Zhongping, he quickly stepped forward, bowed to Zhen Qing, and said, "Your Majesty, may you live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years."
Under Queen Song's curved eyebrows, her sparkling eyes flickered. She glanced at the ministers present and said, "Please stand up, all the ministers."
A hint of solemnity appeared on Li Zan's calm face.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Several cabinet ministers bowed to Li Zan and spoke.
Accompanied by several palace maids, Zhen Qing sat down on a pearwood chair. Her beautiful face seemed to be filled with contemplation. She opened her rosy lips and said softly, "It has been a while since the new emperor's coffin was laid to rest. As the saying goes, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. In the next few days, the cabinet will draft an imperial edict to first support the Crown Prince to ascend the throne to calm the people's hearts at home and abroad."
"In addition, the contribution of Prince Wei is outstanding, and no one can compare to him." Zhen Qing's jade-like face paused slightly, and her eyes were bright under her curved eyebrows. She said, "He supported the new emperor twice and saved the day. I think he can be conferred the title of Prince. What do you think?"
Li Zan frowned, his eyes flashing coldly, but he did not refute for a while.
But there was a storm in my heart.
As the saying goes, a person with a different surname cannot be made a king. Now he has become a prince, so what about the future?
Gao Zhongping was silent for a moment, and said: "The Prince of Wei is already a Prince. If he is given the title of a Prince, there will be no Prince of a different surname in the court. I am afraid that people inside and outside the court will be confused and uncertain about this. I ask Your Majesty to think twice before acting."
Zhen Qing's face was extremely solemn. Under her curved eyebrows, her clear eyes were filled with fierceness. She said in a deep voice, "Two generations of emperors have been assassinated and the Han Dynasty is in turmoil. How can we still stick to the old ways and not change?"
Li Zan considered his words and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Wei is an important minister entrusted to the care of the emperor. He is loyal to the country and may not care much about these titles of princes. Your Majesty, there is really no need to promote him to the title of prince."
Zhen Qing frowned and said, "Lord Li, what you said is wrong. Prince Wei had previously supported the new emperor to ascend the throne. Your Majesty originally wanted to reward Prince Wei for his merits after everything was settled, but you never thought... such an accident would happen. Even though Prince Wei is a man of high moral character, we cannot fail to reward him for his merits."
Zhen Qing added: "Besides, the new emperor is still young, the ruler is young and the country is in doubt, so we need loyal ministers like the Prince of Wei to assist and protect the country."
Lu Jiang's face was gloomy, and his eyes were also covered with a layer of gloom. He said in a cold voice: "Empress, the Prince of Wei is already the highest rank among the ministers. If he is promoted to the title of a prince, I am afraid that the Prince of Wei will have other intentions. I ask the Empress to withdraw your order."
After all, she is a woman, and she has a woman's nature. She doesn't know how terrible it is to have insatiable desires and to be greedy for more.
When Prince Wei becomes a prince, his next step will probably be to lay his hands on the throne.
Upon hearing this, Zhen Qing raised her beautiful eyebrows slightly, and her cold and sparkling eyes seemed to contain a bit of fierceness, and she almost shouted: "Master Lu, I don't know when the Prince of Wei will have any other thoughts?"
The new king is his son, how could he have any ulterior motives?
Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, especially since she was watching them.
Zhen Qing's face, as white as snow, was just as frost-covered. She raised her eyebrows, her eyes sparkling, and said, "Master Lu, if such speculation were to reach the ears of Prince Wei, it would affect the political stability. Can you afford it?"
When Lu Jiang was glanced at by Zhen Qing's sharp gaze, his expression paused slightly and his heart was inevitably skipped a beat.
The slight contempt that was originally hidden in my heart has dissipated a lot.
Gao Zhongping heard this and immediately advised, "Your Majesty, the promotion to the title of Duke involves many things. I think we should discuss it again."
Zhen Qing's phoenix eyes shone brightly under her emerald eyebrows. She said, "Prince Wei has saved the situation several times and supported two generations of emperors. It is also popular to make him a prince. But I don't know what difficulties the cabinet has."
Gao Zhongping did not refute for a moment, and said: "My queen, can you ask Prince Wei to come with you and ask him what he thinks about this matter?"
Zhen Qing snorted coldly and said, "Prince Wei is a man of high moral character and indifferent to fame and gain. He will definitely decline your words after hearing this. You guys should not bully an honest man."
Gao Zhongping was speechless for a moment when he heard this.
He really meant that.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Zhen Qing's tone softened a little.
Zhen Qing raised her eyebrows, looked at them with a sharp gaze, and said, "After the new emperor passes the seventh day, the Crown Prince must take the throne as soon as possible. Otherwise, I don't know how the ministers of this world will view the royal family."
Gao Zhongping nodded and said nothing more.
After Zhen Qing finished speaking, she turned to look at Li Zan, who had been silent the whole time, and asked, "Mr. Li has been silent just now, do you have any advice?"
Li Zan looked calm and fearless, and said in a loud voice: "The matter of conferring the title of Prince of Wei is of great importance, and it is unprecedented in our dynasty. We, the ministers of the cabinet, dare not act on our own, and hope that the Queen will forgive us."
Princes of different surnames are often the source of corruption in the court. Once Prince Wei develops disloyalty towards the court, who in the court and the country can stop him?
After all, your Majesty is a woman, and she doesn't know the pros and cons of this matter. Yet she promoted him to a higher rank, which may cause disaster in the future.
Zhen Qing's expression suddenly turned cold, and she slightly opened her pink lips and said, "I am the Empress of the Sixth Palace, and I am temporarily in charge of the cabinet to draft the decree on behalf of the Emperor. Why did Lord Li say that he dared not act on his own? The Han Dynasty is in turmoil now, and the remnants of the King of Zhao and the White Lotus demon are eyeing the artifact. Don't Lord Li know this?"
Li Zan's face was extremely solemn, his eyes flickered, and he said in a loud voice: "Empress, I think that since the founding of the Han Dynasty, Taizu has set a rule that people of different surnames cannot be crowned kings. It has been more than a hundred years, and we, the people of the later generations, cannot violate the ancestral system without authorization."
Zhen Qing nodded, her eyes sparkling under her emerald eyebrows, and she whispered, "Could it be that Lord Li also doubts the character and integrity of Prince Wei? His character and integrity have been repeatedly examined by the previous emperor and the new emperor. They are as bright as the sun and the moon, and as brilliant as the stars. The civil and military officials in the court have also witnessed it."
Jia Heng was a time-tested guardian of imperial power. During many major political changes, he always regarded himself as a defender of imperial power and was highly regarded by two generations of emperors.
Zhen Qing was not wrong in saying this.
Li Zan was silent for a moment, then said, "My queen, it's not that we are suspicious, but our ancestors have their own established rules, which cannot be changed at will. Otherwise, the character and integrity of the Prince of Wei are both excellent choices, but who knows what the future of his descendants will be like?"
Neither Cao Cao nor Sima Yi usurped the throne, but didn’t their descendants act the same way?
"The Prince of Wei is just in his early twenties, and he is in his prime. That will be a hundred years later. The rulers of later generations are wise and intelligent, and will have the wisdom to deal with it." Zhen Qing said in a clear voice with curved eyebrows and sharp eyes.
Seeing that Li Zan was extremely suspicious, Zhen Qing said, "Lord Li, I am an orphan and a widow, but you are not suspicious. You are all important officials in the court, but you are so suspicious. I really don't understand."
When Li Zan heard this, he didn't know how to refute it.
Zhen Qing's eyes sparkled with inexplicable meanings under her slender eyebrows. She said sternly, "Lord Li, there are villains outside the court, and this is when we need a famous minister like Prince Wei to protect the country. If we don't use the title to befriend him, but instead guard against suspicion, I'm afraid that even if he has no ulterior motives, he will be forced to have some."
When Li Zan heard this, a thoughtful look appeared on his face.
Zhen Qing raised her eyebrows and said in a clear voice, "Lord Li, this matter will be handed over to your cabinet. I will go to Hanyuan Hall now to mourn and offer sacrifices to the late emperor."
Li Zan bowed and said softly, "Have a good rest, Madam."
While Zhen Qing was talking, she didn't say anything else. Accompanied by several palace maids and eunuchs, she walked quickly towards the outer room.
After Zhen Qing left, Li Zan looked at Gao Zhongping beside him and asked, "Lord Gao, what do you think now?"
Gao Zhongping sighed, his eyes filled with worry, and said, "I'm afraid it will be difficult to stop the trend of Prince Wei being promoted to a prince."
Li Zan raised his bony eyebrows, and a trace of thought appeared in his eyes. He said in a cold voice: "I just don't know whether this is the Queen's intention or the Prince of Wei's instruction."
In the opinion of several cabinet ministers, one of Jia Heng's concubines was Zhen Qing's sister, and perhaps the two had discussed this in advance.
Li Zan frowned, his eyes flickered, and he said, "Forget it, let's draft the edict for the new emperor's succession in the next few days."
Zhen Qing's son Chen Jie was still an infant, and now he was about to succeed to the throne, which indeed made the cabinet ministers feel quite difficult.
Whether it was ruling the country from behind the curtain or promoting Jia Heng to the rank of prince, these were serious challenges to the ancestral system of the Chen Han Dynasty, and naturally, the cabinet ministers were not happy about it.
Lu Jiang frowned and said worriedly, "Lord, this prince will be given the title of the Nine Gifts, and he may even ask for a change of dynasty in the future. What should we do?"
Li Zan shook his head, his eyes deep, and said: "The world is full of gossip, thousands of people are pointing fingers at me, the Prince of Wei will not ignore it."
When Lu Jiang heard this, he felt a little disdainful in his heart.
Jia Heng is a treacherous man who appears loyal. How does he behave in the eyes of outsiders?
Gao Zhongping thought for a moment, his eyes flickered, and he said in a deep voice: "Why not let this matter go out and let the censors oppose it, and see how Prince Wei reacts. If he has an open mind, he will refuse it. If he acquiesces to it, it shows that he has intentions."
Li Zan looked deep under his sword-like brows and said in a deep voice, "I want to meet with Prince Wei alone in the next few days."
After he had tested Prince Wei's intentions, he had a rough idea of whether he was trying to usurp the throne or support the Han Dynasty.
……
……
Jinyifu, Imperial Prison
It was dark inside the dark room, with only the iron fence leading to the outside, and sunlight shining down from above.
The black water in the dungeon seemed to reflect the sunlight outside, with the light and shadows sparkling and reflecting the human figures.
At this moment, Qiu Liang was tied to a wooden cross, his body was covered with whip marks, his hair was disheveled, and his facial features could not be seen clearly. At this moment, his aura also showed a sense of listlessness.
When Qiu Liang raised his eyes, his sinister gaze seemed to reveal some inexplicable resentment.
Prince Wei, little Jia Heng, I will avenge my enemy!
I think the new emperor was probably harmed by the desperate Jia Heng, otherwise he would never have acted like this.
At this moment, the iron chain on the wooden door of the cell was heard rattling, and then heavy footsteps were heard one after another.
After a while, Qu Lang and Liu Jixian came in from outside with gloomy faces, and a thousand-householder in charge of punishment followed them closely.
Qiu Liang opened his eyes and stared at Qu Lang and Liu Jixian, his eyes filled with coldness as he said, "Here come Jia Heng's lackeys."
Liu Jixian's face was filled with dark clouds, as dark as iron. He said sternly, "Qiu Liang, you are looking for death!"
As he said this, he winked at the Chief Justice standing beside him.
The chief judge clasped his fists and nodded, then, without saying anything more, headed towards the water dungeon.
Accompanied by the sound of "splashing water", Qiu Liang was brought out by several Jinyifu guards.
Qu Lang raised his sword-like eyebrows, his eyes flickered, and he stared at Qiu Liang, saying, "Qiu Liang, why don't you confess your rebellious actions with the White Lotus Monster?"
Qiu Liang's expression paused, his eyes flickered, and he whispered, "Qiu has never colluded with the White Lotus demon. Now you are helping Jia Heng and acting as accomplices to the tiger. When you are in the afterlife, I wonder how you will have the face to see the late emperor?"
Qu Lang snorted coldly and shouted, "What nonsense!"
As he spoke, he looked at Liu Jixian who was standing beside him and said, "Bring him out. I will interrogate him strictly."
Liu Jixian gave orders to the palace guards standing beside him.
Qiu Liang spoke righteously and sternly, "Jia Heng has brought chaos to the palace and ruined the government. All the kind-hearted and righteous people in the world should kill him!"
Qu Lang's expression changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Don't let him talk nonsense."
As he said that, Liu Jixian quickly stepped forward and slapped Qiu Liang in the face. Suddenly, the redness and swelling on Qiu Liang's cheek was as high as a finger.
Qu Lang shouted, "Even if you don't confess, your crimes have already been exposed. The court will not tolerate you in the next few days."
As he spoke, he called the Jinyifu guards beside him and said in a deep voice, "Come here, send the prisoner on his way."
"You have taken the life of Qiu without a joint trial by the three judicial authorities. Where is the law? Where is justice?" Qiu Liang said sternly, with a fierce gleam in his eyes under his sword-like eyebrows.
Liu Jixian groaned for a moment, his eyes surging with a hint of coldness, and he shouted in a deep voice: "Qiu Liang, you are also an old Jinyi. There are countless ghosts who died unjustly in the imperial prison. It seems that you are not a big deal now."
Qiu Liang's heart almost sank to the bottom of the valley, and his eyes were filled with worry under his thick eyebrows.
He was thinking rapidly about how to escape.
On Liu Jixian's side, his face was stern and his eyes were fixed and flashing as he looked at Qiu Liang.
At this moment, several strong men in brocade clothes came forward, took a rope, and wrapped it around Qiu Liang's neck. The breath of death was gradually approaching, making Qiu Liang feel inexplicably terrified.
Perhaps it was his attachment to life that made Qiu Liang feel so determined.
At this moment, Qiu Liang felt a chill in his heart for no reason, and asked anxiously, "I know where the White Lotus Demon is now?"
Where there is life, there is hope.
Since the White Lotus Demon is not coming to rescue him, he might as well sell these people out and avoid this disaster temporarily. It won’t be too late to think of a way to escape later.
Qiu Liang was quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
Originally, Qiu Liang was not loyal to the evil White Lotus Sect.
At this moment, Qu Lang raised his eyebrows, his eyes flickered inexplicably, his face paused, and he shouted in a deep voice: "Wait."
Several young officers in Jinyi uniforms who were working stopped what they were doing at this moment.
Liu Jixian said: "Take him to the torture chamber on the side, and the commander and I will interrogate him personally."
Two young officers in the imperial uniform responded, then carried Qiu Liang and headed towards the torture chamber.
……
……